Explore and Focus: Year 4

Specialty Decision Making

• AAMC Careers in Medicine
  • Self-Assessments – Discover who you are and identify what you want for your future through a series of self-assessments
  • Medical Specialties – Information about specialties and subspecialties, the nature of work, training and residency requirements.
• Career Advisor FAQ document – Advice on specialties from Departmental Career Advisors
• UW SOM Match Data – Prior year match results
• NRMP Charting Outcomes in the Match and Residency Program Directors Survey – national match data and reports from the National Residency Matching Program
• The Undifferentiated Medical Student Podcast
• UWSOM AOA Videos on YouTube
• AMA Videos
• Other resources to consider:
  • National professional societies
  • Student Interest Groups
  • Informational interviews

 

Prepare for Application Season

As you wrap up your third year and enter your fourth year, there are several ways you can begin preparing materials for the upcoming residency application season.

• Watch the 3-part CV for the Medical Student Video Series
  • Function and Formatting
  • Content and Section Headings
  • Accomplishment Statements
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) Resources
• Watch the 2-part Personal Statement for the Medical Student Video Series
  • Purpose and the Writing Process
  • Content and Editing
• Personal Statement Resources
• Letters of Recommendation
• MSPE

 

Apply for Residency

• Includes components of applications, how to best prepare, and timelines

 

Your SOM Support Team

SOM Career Advisors

• Specialty and career decision-making
• Personal statement and CV review
• Interview preparation, including mock interviews
• Application strategies, such as dual applying and rank lists

​​Departmental Career Advisors

• Specialty application strategies
• Evaluate student competitiveness and competitiveness of residency programs
• Advocate for students after the interview and ranking cycles
• Advise on number of programs to apply to and number of programs to rank

Student Affairs

Sarah Wood is the UW administrator of the residency application systems and oversees the MSPE production process

• Advise on application timelines
• Advise on the technical logistics of the applications and match systems

Melissa Zent is the manager of the MSPE process

• Initial point of contact for MSPE contents and requirements

 

Guidelines when Applying to Residency

1. Determine your level of competitiveness with your departmental career advisor
2. Apply in a specialty that is a good fit level for your level of competitiveness
3. Have an alternative plan if applying to competitive specialties
4. Involve your departmental career advisor in the application and ranking process
5. Apply to enough programs overall and enough programs where you have a good chance of being accepted
6. Talk to a UWSOM Career Advisor if you are not offered at least 10 interviews
7. Rank enough programs